MICEtalk December 2013

Rs. 100

Volume IV Issue 12 December 2013 60 pages A DDP Publication

eMail Marketing

Thank you Notes in Business

Stay Positive at Work

DDP Publications Private Limited New Delhi: 72, Todarmal Road, New Delhi 110001, India Tel: +91 11 41669575, 41669576 Fax: +91 11 41669577 E-mail: micetalk@ddppl.com Mumbai: 504 Marine Chambers, 43 New Marine Lines, Mumbai 400 020, India Tel: +91-22-22070129, 22070130 Fax: +91-22-22070131 E-mail: mumbai@ddppl.com UAE: P.O. Box: 9348, Sharjah, UAE Tel: +971 6 5528954, Fax: +971 6 5528956 E-mail: uae@ddppl.com All information in MICEtalk is derived from sources, which we consider reliable. Information is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. The contents of this publication contain views of authors and are not the views of DDP Publications.

Similarly, opinions/views expressed by any party in abstract and/or in interviews are not necessarily shared/do not necessarily reflect any opinion of DDP Publications. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction strictly prohibited. Material appearing in MICEtalk cannot be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written permission. The same rule applies when there is a copyright or the article is taken from another publication.

Publications reproducing material either in part or in whole, without permission would face legal action.

Editorial enquiries and enquiries concerning the reproduction of articles should be emailed to neelam@ddppl.com, advertising and circulation enquiries should be e-mailed to gunjan@ddppl.com The publisher assumes no responsibility for returning unsolicited material nor is he responsible for material lost or damaged in transit. Any material submitted to MICEtalk will not be returned.

The publisher reserves the rights to refuse, withdraw, amend or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation. All advertisements must comply with the Indian Advertisements Code as well as the Advertisements Code of South Asia. The publisher will not be liable for any damage or loss caused by the late publication, error or failure or advertisement or editorial to appear.

MICEtalk is printed, published, edited and owned by SanJeet, printed at Cirrus Graphics Pvt. Ltd., B-62/14, Phase – II, Naraina Industrial Area, New Delhi-110028 and published at 72, Todarmal Road, New Delhi-110001

Kissinger Global Conference Room at the Paley Center for Media

Publisher & Editor

SanJeet

Editor-in-Chief

Deepa Sethi

Desk Editor

Neelam Singh

Correspondent

Neha Oberoi

Photographer

Simran Kaur

Design

Pooja Kalra

Advertising

Gunjan Sabikhi Geetika Pathak Paramjeet Kaur Sodhi Udit Pandey Yogita Bhurani

Advertisement Designer

Vikas Mandotia Nitin Kumar Aarushi Agrawal

Production Manager

Anil Kharbanda

Circulation Manager

Ashok Rana

MUMBAI: Advertising

Harshal Ashar

reader’s

page

42 Dear Reader, We had a request from some of our readers who wanted something different for their events. They were looking for the fun factor along with the serious business to be conducted by their groups. Event companies and PCO’s want people to come back and talk about the event they have attended and remember it for a long time. MICEtalk stepped out and put together some unique MICE venues, which should bring a smile to the eyes of the adventurous…

Cyprus is the new and exciting destination being promoted for MICE. Cyprus is all set to tap the Indian outbound travel market, which is currently pegged at over 15 million travellers and estimated to reach 50 million by 2020.

Canada has grown by 7.1 per cent in Indian arrivals, making it one of the fast growing destinations, with over 18,000 Indian arrivals in the month of August itself, in the same period last year. We bring you MICE facilities in four of its most popular provinces for MICE. Korea is also growing in popularity, we bring you MICE possibilities in Busan, Korea’s second largest metropolis.

50

We had a conversation with DMCs on challenges they face hosting large MICE groups. We even got tips for a successful business meeting. And read about advantages of email marketing for business.

The most popular MICE Destinations of 2013 – any guesses?

Look inside!

Wish you all a merry Christmas and a Great 2014!

May you travel far & wide…

Deepa Sethi

18

contents Cover Story Unique MICE Venues

14

8 Facts 24 Country Talk Canada

30 City Talk

Busan, South Korea

34 Let’s Talk

Handeling Big MICE Groups

38 MICE Initiative Cyprus

30

40 Expert Talk Stay Happy

42 Sample This Aamby Valley

44 Your’s Officially

Aneta Ksiazek, Chief Conference Expert, PTO

46 Event Talk

WTM, London, 2013 Showcase Canada Asia

50 Talking People

Secrets of a Successful Meeting

52 Etiquette Talk Thank you notes in Business

54 Technology

eMail Marketing for Business Events

56 Movements 58 Events

46

8

Kyoto provides Wi-Fi as part of airport transfers

facts

New Event Spaces in Shanghai

Kyoto provides Wi-Fi to meeting delegates as part of airport transfers. Yasaka Taxis, a member of Kyoto Convention Bureau and high-end supplier to incentives, meetings and conferences taking place throughout the city has launched the new initiative to support events taking place in Kyoto.

Fairmont Peace Hotel, Shanghai, offers new additional event spaces with two exclusive private dining rooms at the roof terrace as well as two function rooms at the mezzanine level. Boasting awe-inspiring views of the Huangpu River and the city skyline of Pudong, the roof terrace and mezzanine level offer more than 1,000 sqm of additional event space. The new function rooms offer cutting-edge audio-visual technology as well as high-speed wireless Internet access. In addition, a full-service Business Centre is available to provide comprehensive support for all technical needs.

Conventa introduces South East Europe to the world

Conventa, South East European exhibition for meetings, events and incentives, to be held from 22 to 23 January 2014, will help put South East Europe on the meeting industry’s map by introducing the region and its meetings offer to around 250 meeting planners from all around the world. Sixth edition of the show will present a lot of novelties such as new meetings offer, better flight accessibility and new fam trip programmes that will offer meeting planners the possibility to experience the region first hand.

ITB Berlin expanding display area

ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show will create an additional 700m of display area for the topic of travel technology in tourism. In 2014, Training and Employment in Tourism (TET), along with universities and technical colleges, will move from Hall 5.1 to Hall 11.1. The Technology Hall will feature companies exhibiting traditional Travel Technology products, who also address similar themes to the numerous tourism enterprises in Hall 25. Most of the companies representing the hotel industry can be found in Hall 6.1, in close proximity to Halls 8.1, 9 and 10.1.

Early bird promotion for event planners

facts

Kolkata welcomes The Lalit

The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group has expanded its footprint in Kolkata. The Great Eastern, a famous historic Raj-era hotel built in 1840, was unveiled as The Lalit Great Eastern in November 2013.

After being acquired by The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, the property has gone through extensive renovations and restorations. Its meeting facilities include conference space of 743.22m², Quorum – a business club with four meeting rooms, The Legacy Lounge along with a spa with eight treatment rooms, aqua bed, gymnasium, salon and swimming pool.

Seoul plans for large meetings

In order to strengthen the city’s position internationally, Seoul Metropolitan Government has produced a master plan for its MICE industry. Under this plan, large areas of meetings infrastructure will be developed between 2014 and 2018 to ramp up the city’s meetings capacity. This includes the upcoming launch of Dongdaedmun Design Plaza and a large convention centre next to Seoul Station, set to open in 2014 and 2018, respectively. It will boost the South Korean capital’s meetings capacity from 64,000m2 to 103,000m2.

10

MICEtalk December 2013

REGAL Hotels International is offering an early bird promotion to corporate event planners, valid from January 1 to March 31, 2014. Aimed at TMCs, DMCs, PCOs and PEOs worldwide, the promotion is available at all properties in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Dezhou and Guiyang. It features a 15 per cent commission on commissionable room rates or five per cent commission on net room rates, a theme refreshment break upgrade, use of one LCD projector, Internet access in the meeting venue (limited to two devices), and a guaranteed upgrade for two rooms to the next category for every 20 rooms per booking.

Events in Monaco

Monaco tourism board has recently launched their new MICE campaign stating ‘Your event needs Monaco’ keeping in view the much talked about capability and expertise that the destination offers to make every event a success. The Monaco Convention Authority team and its bureau in India offers a wide range of innovative services to those organising conventions, seminars, exhibitions, festivals or trade fairs, ready and willing to meet their demands and respond to all types of requests for any budget.

facts

Vancouver to host a big meeting

facts

Vancouver will welcome 48,000 delegates from around the world for the 2025 International Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous – the single largest meeting ever held in the city. Expected to contribute $71 million in direct spending to the local economy, the 2025 convention will feature meetings, workshops and a traditional flag ceremony that celebrates the sobriety of members worldwide.

Adelaide Convention Centre will host APOGCE

The Adelaide Convention Centre has won the 2014 Asia Pacific Oil & Gas Conference & Exhibition (APOGCE). It is expected to attract 800 delegates from throughout Asia and Australasia during the three day conference. It will explore the continued changes affecting the oil and gas industry, with the theme of the conference – Changing the Game: Opportunities, Challenges, and Solutions.

Bhutan Airlines to fly to Kolkata

Bhutan Airlines will commence flights to Kolkata in order to boost tourism in Bhutan. The airline is planning to start daily flights on the BangkokKolkata-Paro-Kolkata-Bangkok route. Currently, Druk Air is the only airline operating on Kolkata-Paro sector.

Turkey woos Indian audience

With the launch of its website www.turkeytourism. in, Turkish Culture and Tourism Office and Turkish Airlines announced a pan India campaign, specifically for the Indian audience with a view to enhance its product line and expand the destination knowledge base. The dynamic and interactive website, highlights Turkey’s attractions to the Indian audience, its close proximity, appeal to families, adventure tourists, backpackers, solo travellers, luxury, MICE and business travellers.

12

MICEtalk December 2013

cover story

Unique

MICE Venues

cover story

Neha Oberoi

Companies are nowadays exploring venues that break the dull spell of meetings and conferences. In this issue of MICEtalk, we explore one-of-its-kind venues that offer bizarre meetings and corporate events space with the backing of cutting edge technology support, keeping in mind the comfort and safety of delegates‌

Moulin Rouge Performers

MICEtalk December 2013

15

cover story

Haute Incentives

@ Moulin Rouge

Corporates can now be a part of the glamorous setting in the Moulin Rouge which also provides for state-ofthe-art MICE facilities. To make your conferences, seminars, gala dinners and lunches or any other special event a success, the Moulin Rouge makes several of its venues available for use: •The Cabaret Theatre can accommodate 800 people for lunch or dinner and the ‘Féerie’ show.

•The semi-circular auditorium gives optimum view of the stage, during the gala evenings, especially when a performance is part of a corporate event.

•The Toulouse-Lautrec Lounge can accommodate 70 people for cocktails, with the permanent exhibition of Toulouse-Lautrec’s posters serving as the backdrop.

•The Mistinguett Lounge can host cocktails for 300 people and 200 for small conventions. It is also easily accessible by the physically-challenged delegates.

•The Cinema Hall is another facility which the Moulin Rouge makes accessible for cocktails (1,000 people), dinners (700 people) and conventions (900 people).

La Machine du Moulin Rouge The venue is considered the best de-stressor after long business hours.

•At the Champagne or the Bubble Bar, delegates can unwind over a special Moulin Rouge cocktail.

•Delegates can also shake-a-leg on the dance floor at ‘The Chaufferie’.

An event in Moulin Rouge is supported with technology, light and sound equipment, giant screens, video projectors, microphones and lecterns.

16

MICEtalk December 2013

Above: Moulin Rouge Themed Event

Unique Element

The music and décor of the place creates a surreal experience.

Incentive groups to the Moulin Rouge can visit The Central which welcomes 800 spectators for concerts. Those looking for a perfect venue for their post-event, theme evenings can host it on the Terace of the la Machine du Moulin Rouge, which opens this venue for visitors at sunset.

SkyHigh

cover story

Meetings

Above: Meetings in the sky

A meeting ‘room’, suspended 50ft above the ground with the sky above you is a concept promoted by a Belgium-based company, ‘Events in the Sky’.

The meetings that are hosted here are held on a platform that is 50 ft above the ground. The platform consists of rows of aircraft seats on the four sides of the rectangle. At least, 20-30 people can be accommodated at a time, with space for 4-5 (including staff ) to stand in the middle. This special ‘venue’ is available for eight hours at a stretch. Meetings, product launches, brainstorming lunches or grand dinners, are several occasions for which corporate houses are choosing this unique concept.

Safety is priority All the concepts are designed according to the German norm DIN 4112 (code of practice for design and construction).

Additional Services for Meetings • Lights • Heating • Sound • TV Screens • Underneath Banner and Seat Stickers The structure and the hoisting machinery are tested every three months by the Belgium Testing Agency.

Unique Element

•The flexibility of this venue, allows it to be ‘placed’ against different backdrops which include the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Castle of Edinburgh, etc.

•Live music can be added to the event or dinner via a second crane suspended at the same height, where musicians can sit and play their music.

The organisers offer a weather risk insurance which is 10 per cent of your global budget.

MICEtalk December 2013

17

cover story

Floating Banquet Hall in Seoul Located just 50 minutes from the Incheon international Airport, ON River Station on the Hangang river is available regardless of seasonal and weather conditions. Equipped with modern facilities such as special lighting systems and corded and wireless Internet services, it comprises three flower-themed islets – Vista, Viva and Terra with excellent MICE facilities.

Special tip: Venue rental fee will be waived during the food event (as long as the event does not exceed four hours).

18

MICEtalk December 2013

Unique Element

Featuring frameless windows, it provides great views of the Hangang River and offers a variety in cuisine from the kitchens of famous chefs.

cover story

Spirits

&

Meetings

Single Malt Whisky Society, Edinburgh/Leith offers authentic and exclusive private events. With the possibility of hosting any corporate or private function, across whisky tastings, private dining, business meetings and weddings, it offers the perfect setting for a group experience in Scotland.

For an exclusive meet with high profile people there is an option of the exclusive Members’ lounge of The Vaults - the ‘Spiritual Home’ of the Society in Leith. Set within one of the oldest buildings in Scotland, the lounge offers grand ceilings embellished with curious whisky illustrations and roaring fires, where guests can indulge in the finest malt whisky brought to life by entertaining SMWS Whisky Ambassadors, followed by Michelin-recommended cuisine.

For an exclusive meet with high profile people there is an option of the exclusive Members’ lounge of The Vaults - the ‘Spiritual Home’ of the Society

Unique Element

They also organise themed whisky dinners, including ‘The 19th Hole at the Society’, ‘Whisky and Ghosts’, ‘Robert Burns’, and Rugby.

cover story

Soaked in History

Serpentine Gallery, London Located within Kensington Gardens, the Grade II listed NeoClassical building comprises four large rooms, including a high-domed space in the central gallery. Renowned for its focus on unusual and contemporary art, the Serpentine Gallery hosts a Summer Pavilion from June to October - showcasing temporary structures by internationally acclaimed architects and designers.

Unique Element

Guests attending an event also enjoy picturesque views of the surrounding Royal Parks. Hiring the Gallery gives exclusive access to all four rooms, which can be set up around exhibitions in a number of formats.

DisneylandParis Unique Element

In Disney’s Hotel New York® Convention Centre, the meeting rooms are done out in the Art Deco style of 1930’s New York. At Newport Bay Club® Convention Centre, the unique atmosphere of a New England seaside resort pervades the comfortable and spacious modular meeting facilities.

Disney’s Newport Bay Club® Convention Centre and Disney’s Hotel New York® Convention Centre offers integrated venues equipped with team-building opportunities, private events programs and special offers throughout the year. With 23,500m² (252,800 sqft) of professional space and event venues (seminar rooms, conference rooms, convention rooms of all sizes), there is also a dedicated team for the business clientele to meet their needs between two convention centres, three plenary session rooms with a capacity up to 2,300 persons, 95 meeting rooms for 10 to 600 pax and 2,400 m² (25,800 sqft) exhibition space.

country talk

CANADA

A Preferred Incentive Destination

country talk

connectivity There are currently no direct non-stop flights between India and Canada. However, most international carriers fly to Canada via their national hubs. India’s National Carrier Air India operates flights to Toronto from Amritsar via London thrice a week and over Frankfurt daily.

Canada offers a variety of convention and incentive sites, along with first-class services and accommodations, bringing a perfect mix of convention and entertainment for MICE groups.

Host your convention or incentive trip in Canada and enjoy the diverse cultures, professional and hi-tech convention and exhibition facilities, cozy and luxurious accommodations, convenient transportation network, global cuisines and value shopping experience.

MICE Facilities in BRITISH COLUMBIA The convention and exhibition centres

in British Columbia exceed an area of 60,000m2, with over 42,000 hotel rooms, including more than 14,000 rooms in downtown Vancouver only. Combining destinations such as Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler together into a programme or a pre-post convention tour makes for the great package offering three different experiences.

Vancouver Convention Centre Located on Vancouver’s urban waterfront with a dramatic mountain backdrop, the award-winning Vancouver Convention Centre offers an area of 15,000m2, with 72 conference rooms and 20,700m2 of exhibition space. www.vancouverconventioncentre

City view of Toronto, Canada’s largest city

MICEtalk December 2013

25

country talk

University of BC (UBC) UBC offers a range of meetings and conference facilities such as Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, Museum of Anthropology, Gardens and Thunderbird Stadium. www.conferences.ubc.ca Victoria Conference Centre With 73,000 sqft of meeting space, 16 multi-purpose meeting rooms, a large exhibit hall and a 400-seat lecture theatre, it can handle conferences as large as 1,500 delegates.

unique venues in BC • Capilano Suspension Bridge • Vancouver Aquarium • Grouse Mountain • Vancouver Art Gallery

TELUS Whistler Conference Centre With 14 conference rooms and a 1,533m2 ballroom, it can cater to 1,000 guests. Its grand foyer has a 40 ft river rock fireplace that provides an amazing view of Whistler Mountain.

Besides the convention or exhibition in Vancouver, you can also organise a lovely water banquet or party by renting a schooner, a steamer, a yacht or even a luxurious cruise. In Calgary, the unique ‘White Hat’ Ceremony is interesting and attractive, in which your guests will wear handsome white hats and feel like a Canadian cowboy!

incentive activities • Whale Watching • Wine Touring and Orchards • Golfing • Snow Sports Below: Ripley’s Aquarium, Toronto

Above: Parliament Building at Night in Victoria, BC Below: A view of Jasper National Park

country talk

MICE facilities in ALBERTA Alberta has over 73,000m2 of convention and exhibition space, more than 32,000 hotel rooms and countless restaurants.

Shaw Conference Centre With a huge space of 18,000m2, it can host up to 6,000 participants. A 30 ft panoramic glass wall reveals the landscape on the North Saskatchewan River.

www.shawconferencecentre.com

Calgary TELUS Convention Centre It has the area of 4,366m2, available for up to 4,000 participants. The space can be tailored to meet the needs of different events. It has hosted a number of international conventions and events. www.calgary-convention.com

incentive activities • Hiking • Rafting • Horseback Riding • Aurora Borealis • Aerial Tours

The Banff Centre The Banff Centre is a world-famous cultural, artistic and educational institution, with 400 rooms, 60 meeting rooms and auditorium for 5-1,000 participants. www.banffcentre.ca Left: Vancouver Convention Centre Below: Meeting venue at the Fairmont Royal York, Toronto

country talk

MICE facilities in ONTARIO

Ontario includes a number of major cities, such as Toronto, the largest city in Canada and Ottawa, the capital of the country. The entire province offers more than 250,000m2 of convention and exhibition space in total and around 64,000 hotel rooms.

Metro Toronto Convention Centre With over 55,000m2 of conference and exhibition space, it is available for conferences of different sizes, ranging from 40 to 40,000 participants. www.mtcc.com Below: A view of Niagara Falls

National Arts Centre Available for major seminars, conferences and workshops, the centre can host more than 2000 delegates. It has its own restaurant and cafĂŠ shop for up to 1,000 guests. www.nac-cna.ca Niagara Convention & Civic Centre Opened in April 2011, it is just 500 mt from the world famous Niagara Falls. It has a large exhibition hall of 7,432m2 and customisable conference rooms totalling in 2,462m2. www.fallsconventions.com

incentive activities Enjoy water adventures like whitewater rafting or sunbathing, a colourful autumn, rail rides of VIA Rail or worldclass spa facilities in Ontario.

country talk

MICE facilities in QUEBEC

With convention and exhibition space totalling 72,000 sqm and over 40,000 hotel rooms available provincewide, Québec can host small to big events.

Palais des congrès de Montréal (Montréal Convention Centre) With 30,000 sqm of convention and exhibition space, 65 customisable meeting rooms and over 4,000 hotel rooms conveniently located at nearby establishments, the centre is perfect for large-scale exhibitions or conventions. www.congresmtl.com Espaces Dalhousie-Terminal de croisières Ross-Gaudreault This multifunctional space of 45, 000 sqft provides a magnificent view of the Saint Lawrence River. It can host 1,500 guests in its ballroom on the first floor, which can be divided in four separate rooms and hold simultaneously a trade fair of more than 100 stands on the ground floor. www.espacesdalhousie.com

incentive activities • Whale Watching • Hunting & Fishing • Snowmobiling • Wine Tasting • Quad Adventures

Above: Wine Tasting

city talk

Busan

Attracting MICE Planners Neha Oberoi

Busan, a major port, is South Korea’s second largest city. With a major harbour and an excellent subway system, the city’s infrastructure can handle major events with ease while the eye-catching Busan Exhibition and Convention Centre (BEXCO) is a well recongised venue.

connectivity Korean Air and Air India provide direct flights between various cities of India and Korea. Busan time is 3 hours 30 minutes ahead of New Delhi.

city talk

why Busan?

• One stop service city • Variety of MICE venues • Affordable accommodation • Easy access • Rich tourism resources

MICE Venues

Busan has a variety of venues to support MICE such as BEXCO, Sport facilities that can host large scale events for more than 100 people and some 300 special venues including an aquarium, yacht, cruises, gallery and Nurimaru APEC house (see description below).

Bexco It is one of the largest exhibition and convention centres with 8 floors. It has hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea-Japan and 2005 APEC Summit.

Along with an affordable hotel and the world’s largest departmental store located conveniently across the centre, it offers a spacious exhibition hall equivalent to the size of 3 football fields and is fitted with advanced equipment.

Support for MICE planners

The Busan Convention and Visitors Bureau provides consulting services for conference preparation, co-marketing activities to attract delegates, site-inspection for decision makers, financial support for holding MICE events, coordinating services for selecting venues, hotels and pre- and post-tour programmes.

Nurimaru Apec House The name Nurimaru APEC House is created by combining the Korean words nuri (world) and maru (summit). Located on the Dongbaekseom Island, it is known for its natural landscape and was also the host centre for the 2005 APEC Summit.

Accommodation options

Busan has dozens of accommodation options around the venue, from five star hotels like The Westin Chousan, Haeundae Grand Hotel, Novotel Ambassador, etc., to youth hostels and condominiums.

There are more than 52,000 guest rooms in Busan and among them 5,000 guest rooms are within 5-minutes from convention centre.

Post-event activities

Busan offers a wide variety of unique tour programs including exotic temples, ceramic-making programs, refreshing hot springs, cultural heritage tours, and many technical tours. Delegates can also experience the 5,000-year-old Korean heritage of Gyeongju, located an hour away from Busan by car.

Texas Street near Busan Station

MICEtalk December 2013

31

city talk

Above: BEXCO Left: City View

Unique Green Theme Activities

Jeju Island Here banquet halls are being offered in a spirited garden that offers a brick wall made of volcanic stones, beautiful artificial waterfalls, serene ponds with colourful carps, Bonsai garden space where one can take photo shots. The place can accommodate 300 people for an outdoor banquet.

Natural Dyeing This experience offers a chance to make colorants by boiling wild medicinal herbs and natural ingredients to use in dyeing fabrics. For this, the participants divide themselves into different groups where by each group selects its own colour and dye, after which they rinse the fabrics together to enhance the teamwork and bonding.

32

MICEtalk December 2013

For Indian travellers

Indian speciality restaurants are available in Seoul and Busan to cater to the Indian audience. Besides this, Indians can also take rail trips between Seoul and Busan since it is the main showpiece of Korean rail technology, a high speed train known as KTX that offers the comfort of an airline at a much lower price and covers the distance of 445 km in just 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Above: KTX Train Below: Jeju Island

Must Visit Jeju

Known as ‘Hawai of the Orient’, Jeju island is also a UNESCO natural heritage site which offers lots of natural scenery and breath-taking landscapes.

let’s talk

Handling Big MICE Groups

Scope and Challenges Mass MICE movement along with the large revenue numbers also brings along a number of challenges whilst planning or executing an event. MICEtalk gets the input of a few of the industry stalwarts on the issues that crop up and how to deal with them.

Professional approach helps Naveen Rizvi

Sr. Vice- President- India & Head; TUI- Meetings & Incentives & ICEIntegrated Conference & Event Management A mass MICE movement brings with itself rows of issues to tackle with.

According to me, the most crucial three challenges are: Air Ticket Reservations: Booking tickets in one single airline for a large MICE group is a big challenge. In such cases, we generally split airlines to get maximum no. of seats for our guests. These instances also tend to have high airfares due to limited availability of seats to a destination.

Venue for Indian Food: In overseas destinations, it becomes difficult for a MICE organiser to find a venue wherein good quality Indian food can be served to all the guests. Since Indian food is preferred by maximum delegates, for overseas Conference and big Incentive groups, chefs from India are specially flown to the incentive destination to serve Indian meals.

Proper Visa Documentation: In many cases of mass movements, there are first time travellers, for whom getting proper visa documents is a big challenge. Despite timely requests, such travellers sometimes fail to provide proper documentation. Therefore, the staff has to fill the visa application forms themselves, checking each application and related documents to avoid visa rejection and expedite the visa process.

let’s talk

Equipped to handle big MICE groups Vipul Kamboj

Director of Sales and Marketing, Leela Ambience, Gurgaon The one major issue is that everything happens at the last minute. MICE in India is still in nascent stage and has a huge potential, hence there is always details that are left to the ninth hour.

We, as a hotel, anticipate the same and our preparation for a large MICE group starts 30 days before the first arrival. We have a pre-arrival checklist ready which is sent to the customer to streamline the details required by the hotel to have a smooth operation. We also do at least two internal conferences detailing with different heads of department, so that all of us are on the same page. 48 hours prior to the arrival of a large MICE group, we conduct a pre-conference meeting with the customer and all the hotel executives as an introduction to eliminate last minute surprises.

At The Leela Ambience Gurgaon, we have introduced a concept of an Event Services Team who is the single point of contact with the customer so that all information remains with one person who, in turn, coordinates with different departments for smoother operations.

We have a concept of an Event Services Team which works as a single point of contact with the customer who, in turn, coordinates with different departments for smoother operations.

Having a global network helps Manpreet Bindra

Head of Leisure & MICE, FCM Travel Solutions India We provide MICE services to a large number of businesses. MICE movements within India can get better if there are more world-class conference venue options available in metro cities. Currently, we have only one at Hyderabad. Requirement of such venues in metro cities can increase the number of large events being hosted. In case of outbound movement to off-beat destinations such as South America, the common concern is the time taken for Visa processing. At FCM, our global network helps us to overcome these challenges and execute smooth operations for travellers.

MICEtalk December 2013

35

let’s talk

Maintaining Service Standards Yovitha Jha

Director – Operations & Marketing, Incentive & Leisure Travel Consultants Availability of flights and rooms: Nowadays, the realisation of MICE being a revenue generator has fuelled development projects throughout the globe. Most countries offer many conference facilities, venues with purposebuilt convention and exhibition facilities. However, there are problems with capacity. At times, to accommodate a large group in a single property proves to be a challenge.Budget: MICE is very much dependent on budget.

Moreover, with repeat clientele you cannot compromise with service levels and to provide such exacting standards with smaller margins can be a dampener for a MICE organiser.

Hoping for better margins

Amway organised an incentive trip to Australia for more than 4,000 people in 2013

Shad Siddiqui

Managing Director, La Vacanza The MICE sector throughout India is successful in generating large amounts of capital for the economy. The success of the market looks set to continue for at least another decade. However, it is apparent that there is a space for negotiation. MICE group is one where we make a mark through our service. Whether small or large there is no compromise. Negotiation becomes the bottom line and with such cut-throat competition, it becomes important to take a stand for a better margin.

Co-ordination of the venues, food and disconnect between the culture are small issues that can arise. However, professional organisers easily deal with these issues.

36

MICEtalk December 2013

MICE initiative

Cyprus lures India People of Cyprus, their hospitality, geographical, historical and cultural variety and of course superb hotels and DMCs are second to none when it comes to delivering successful events. It’s moving at a furious pace to attract the world as a MICE destination.

Wooing the Indian market, Cyprus has come up with a MICE initiative to incite corporate travellers: Benefits for MICE Groups CATEGORY 1 Groups up to 50 participants from abroad • Each participant will receive a small giveaway with the compliments of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) (subject to terms and conditions) • Upon arrival at the airport, the group will be offered meet and assist services by the CTO Airport Office • Each participant will receive information brochures for Cyprus published by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation.

CATEGORY 2 Groups with more than 50 participants from abroad • Each participant will receive a small giveaway with the compliments of the CTO (subject to terms and conditions) • Upon arrival at the airport, the group will be offered meet and assist services by the CTO Airport Office • Each participant will receive information brochures for Cyprus published by the CTO • The CTO will offer the beneficiary, hospitality of up to €25 for each participant for one meal (food and drink) daily.

Limassol, the second largest city in Cyprus

38

MICEtalk December 2013

expert talk

Staying Shabnam Mehra, Life Coach

Happy

Don’t worry, Think positive, Learn how to be happy, Have courage, ..., Such encouraging words. Words of wisdom handed out so freely to us and just as easily passed on by us.

If only they were just as easy to incorporate into our being, especially when we are in a moment of dissonance or stress and going through a low phase. And, who doesn’t go through these phases? Our lives will traverse the ups and downs and we will have disappointments and there will be times when we can’t go on. If we are lucky, we will find a supporting shoulder to lean on, or maybe wait for time to dull the effect.

Sometimes, we find the strength to overcome and look for new beginnings.

emerging concept The age old theory of ‘Expressing Gratitude’ is also becoming very popular nowadays. If we remember to be thankful for all that we have and compare it with our burdens, we will find the scale tipping clearly towards the blessings.

expert talk

S

o, how do we take control of our lives during these seismic phases? How do we ensure we have that strength when required? Maybe, the answer lies in getting an action plan in place and start practicing now, when everything is fine. Just as we switch to a healthier lifestyle as we grow older, or do financial planning for retirement, why not make a plan for developing inner strength.

Assess yourself

We each have unique factors coming into play as we work on this plan, and it starts with a true assessment of where we are in this journey. Some of us may never have faced troubled waters and consider ourselves invincible, while the experienced variety may have acquired fortitude or forbearance. The interesting thing about this journey is that there are no limits to evolving, so no matter what level we are at, there is still scope to build on further.

Create Templates of Insight

To get started, we need to create our own template of insights. This would be a good time to ponder over the above words of advice, because it will put us in the right direction and also we will be more amenable to receiving and practicing these concepts. Deliberate over some difficult moments in the past and see which

thoughts or actions would have helped us fare better.

We may be surprised to discover that it may have been our own actions that put us in the situation. Taking responsibility of those acts or thoughts is a highly empowering tool, because then we have the power to change those thoughts and behaviours.

Create a Comfort Zone

We should develop our own comfort zone, a place where we are safe and secure emotionally and with our own selves, where there are no failures, nobody judging us and no pressures. It’s a state of being which can be reached in many ways. We can attain this state with the guidance of a spiritual guru, practice silence or meditation techniques. We can also get help from specialists who practice energy healing techniques, creative visualisation techniques, etc.

Prepare an action plan and find the strength to overcome and look for new beginnings

Aamby Valley

Welcoming Delegates amidst Nature Aamby Valley City, one of India’s leading MICE destinations located in Pune, Maharashtra, offers state-of-the-art conferencing facilities that enable successful meetings, incentives, conferences and events for the corporate sector. The city has over 20 world-class venues surrounded by lush green nature landscaped with lakes.

Vivek Kumar, CEO Aamby Valley City and Hotel Sahara Star “MICE is one of the fastest growing segments within the tourism industry.

Companies are investing humongous amounts in maintaining their primary resource, i.e., people working for them.

Corporates are looking at being pampered, provided for and still feel at home. The major trend we notice is that they do not have much choice with usual travel destinations like Goa or Dubai. The hospitality business stalwarts are not just concentrating on aggressive package pricing but also on upgrading the facilities that are provided. This is a great sign of development in the industry. We believe that the trend is to go bigger and better with every MICE activity leading to growth in MICE tourism.”

Convention space

Aamby Valley’s well-equipped and flexible function rooms enable it to cover different types of events (including conventions, small board meetings & social events). At Aamby Valley City, you can host events for 15 and 3000 pax. Complete with futuristic and Hi-tech state-of-the-the-art AV facilities, each of the air conditioned meeting rooms is an excellent choice for lectures, seminars, annual meets, presentations, dinners. The conference facilities include worldwide video conferencing with auto focus and voice tracking, audio conferencing, Wi-Fi connectivity, visualiser presentation, laptop/DVD/CD presentation, audio recording, multimedia projector with suspended lift system ceiling projector and Hi-end sound & visual system.

Post-event activities

From fine dining to entertainment and leisure including the world’s tallest multimedia fountain that bursts 100 feet into the air, Aamby Valley offers a plethora of options for MICE travellers..

For golf fans, it offers an 18-hole Golf course spread over 256 acres of emerald turf with a fully equipped PGA Golf Academy to impart advanced professional training.

Additionally, the city also includes a state-of-theart adventure park, 19 Degree North and a water sports facility, Wetlands. Here you can experience exciting activities such as ATV Biking, Remote Control Car Racing, Zip Lining, Kayaking, Jet Skiing, among many other activities.

Outdoor team-building

It offers adventure sports and water sports for teambuilding programmes, e.g., Alpine Tower Wilderness Team-building sessions, Treasure Hunt, Aero Modelling & Car Racing and Beach Activities such as Volley Ball, Basket Ball, Football, Trampoline, Aqua Slide, and more.

MICEtalk December 2013

43

yours officially

Poland Attracting Indian MICE

“ “ Megha Paul

Aneta Ksiazek, Chief Conference Expert, PTO

Below: The Market Square, Wrocław

In a bid to draw the India outbound to Poland, the Polish Tourist Organisation (PTO) showcased nine participants in a three-city road show in Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. The event was supported by the Poland Convention Bureau (PCB), which came to India for the first time.

Talking about the marketing strategy of PTO with the Indian travel trade industry, Aneta Ksiazek, Chief Conference Expert, PTO, said, “In India and Japan, we will be concentrating on travel trade.

From less than 9,000 Indian arrivals in 2006, Poland received around 20,000 Indian visitors last year.

As part of improving the engagement with the Indian travel trade, PTO has plans to launch Poland Specialist Programme in this market by the end of this year. In addition, we will conduct FAM trips for the travel trade soon. PTO will also launch its media campaign.”

MICE is going to be the key driver for Poland.

According to Ksiazek, Poland’s unique location in the heart of Europe, excellent transportation facilities,

warm hospitality of the people, rich history and natural beauty make it an attractive destination. A lot of new convention facilities have also been developed in the last decade, along with niche venues including coal mines, salt mines, etc. “No other destination in the world offers an opportunity to play Turbo Golf inside a coalmine. The Wieliczka Salt mine can host a gathering up to 600 people that too 300m below the ground. There are plenty of castles that can be used as conference venues. No other country offers such fabulous venues for PCOs,” Ksiazek revealed.

Poland Convention Bureau will now bid for many international conventions and congresses because of the freshness of the destinations and competitiveness compared to many other European destinations.

event talk

WTM 2013 Impressive Growth Deepa Sethi from London

World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel & tourism industry, is the must-attend four-day business-to-business exhibition. Almost 48,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press, embark on ExCeL - London every November to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends at WTM, which is now in its 34th year.

event talk

WTM 2013 experienced an impressive 5 per cent increase in participants with the event opening its doors to more than 50,000 delegates over the four days (4 – 7 November). All visitor groups experienced growth, with the WTM Buyers’ Club seeing a phenomenal 8 per cent increase. This increase in senior buyers at WTM 2013 will see the event facilitate more than £2 billion in industry deals.

Other visitor group increases include trade visitors (5 per cent), international media (4 per cent) and exhibitor personnel (2 per cent) compared to WTM 2012.

Reed Travel Exhibitions, Senior Director, World Travel Market, Simon Press said, “I am absolutely delighted with the delegate attendance of WTM 2013. These figures demonstrate the power and importance of WTM to the industry and the role it plays in facilitating business for the sector.

WTM 2012 generated £1.8 billion in travel industry contracts between exhibitors and senior buyers from the WTM Buyers’ Club, with WTM 2013 looking set to top £2 billion, making this year’s event the most successful of the 34 WTMs.”

Above: Simon Press, Senior Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, World Travel Market Pictures on Right Top: Parvez Diwan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, inaugurating the Indian Pavillion at WTM, London Middle: SanJeet, Publisher, TravTalk India (centre) with Ajay K. Bakaya, Executive Director, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts (second from right) and Pradeep Kalra, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, Sarovar Hotels and Resorts (left) with Micaela Juarez, Head of Marketing & Communications, WTM Bottom: India Pavilion at WTM, London

MICEtalk December 2013

47

event talk

Showcase Canada Business Asia Networking Deepa Sethi from Hangzhou

Canadian Tourism Commission hosted Showcase Canada Asia in Hangzhou, China on October 14-18, 2013 at Sheraton Hotel Wetland Park Resort.

Present at the Showcase were more than 150 buyers and over 90 sellers, making it one of the biggest shows ever. The annual marketplace showcased Canada from coast to coast to key buyers from India, Japan, Korea and China in a business exchange environment with pre-scheduled appointments and networking events.

Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) launched the Canadian Signature Experiences (CSE) Collection in November in New Delhi, celebrating a single, made-in Canada visitor experience, the collection represents large and small companies, rural, urban and remote experiences and visitor experiences that are offered to mass and niche markets. The CSE program is an ideal way for travel trade to sell Canada, especially in India. Its rapidly expanding affluent middle-class population is expected to pass the 500-million mark by 2025.

“The Indian growing middle class means we are targeting cities such as Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore in our marketing and sales activities as we move into 2014,” says John Mamela. “The CSE collection will help us promote Canada by showcasing the type of experiences that this group of eager travellers are seeking out for their next international trip,” he further added.

“

48

MICEtalk December 2013

The MICE segment offers great potential for Canada. Our team for promoting MICE has ensured that the MICE segment grows significantly and will continue to witness a stronger demand in times to come from all major source markets. On the promotion front, our trade events have been very well received by travel fraternity in India. Showcase Canada and Focus Canada events have both seen great success.

Siobhan Chretien

“

Jon Mamela, Vice President, International (R) and Siobhan Chretien, Regional Managing Director, Emerging markets, Americas/Asia for Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC)

event talk

The show was a grand success helping partners build their sales and business relationships. Its success proves that nothing beats a face-to-face meeting to learn about new travel experiences, and build one’s sales network or contract business, even in this digital age.

MICEtalk December 2013

49

talking people

Secrets of a

Successful Meeting Hazel Carter-Showell, Business Psychologist and Body Language Expert, gives her tips for successful meetings:

Invest time at the start of a business relationship

Put greater importance on face-to-face meetings at the start of a business relationship – the more time you spend in a colleague’s company, the quicker you can build a strong and confident relationship.

Be cost and time efficient with virtual connections

Around two-thirds (64%) of professionals find virtual meetings to be more time-efficient.

Use them for less complex conversations such as short briefings and updates. However, for more complex discussion, such as negotiations or performance reviews, face-to-face meetings tend to be more productive.

Connect before you meet

Use social media to research a business partner before meeting – you may have a mutual connection or share a business relationship with another colleague, which will help you establish a rapport when you meet.

Small talk, big reward

Don’t underestimate the importance of small talk –discussing topical issues around current affairs or even the weather are important opportunities to build trust through sharing commonalities.

Be smart with your smartphone

Smartphones and laptops are common accessories at meetings, but be careful of how and when they’re used – Just over two thirds (69%) of people said colleagues checking their phones were a big nuisance in meetings.

Meet in the morning

Generally, morning is the right time to meet in order to have a successful meeting, ideally either on a Monday or Tuesday. People usually have more energy in the late morning as body temperature starts to rise just before we wake and continues to rise through the morning as concentration and alertness gradually improve.

So aim to meet late morning, if possible. Also, a meeting will be most productive if there is time afterwards to act on the actions agreed.

Meeting facilities and location…

Meeting facilities are very important, as these are the venues in which complex social interactions take place. Two of the most frequently given factors for success in a business meeting were comfortable chairs (53%) and temperature (59%).

The golden handshake

When meeting in a culture where handshakes are the norm, make sure yours is strong. No one will tell you if your handshake is weak but it could leave a really bad first impression.

Stand out in a meeting

Contribute to the conversation in a way that takes the meeting forward; leaning in, showing focussed attention by asking insightful questions, demonstrating nuanced understanding of the problem and empathy for the people involved will make you stand out and be noticed.

survey report

Business meetings in a modern world Crowne Plaza in collaboration with TNS Global conducted a survey to better understand how business professionals are using both virtual and face-to-face meetings and the possible economic impact. The report surveyed more than 2,000 business men and women across five major markets – the UK, US, United Arab Emirates (UAE), China and India. Some interesting facts that have come out of this survey are:

Nearly half (47%) of business men and woman surveyed believe they had lost a contract or client simply because they didn’t have enough face-to-face meetings, which resulted in the estimated yearly revenue loss of 24% - a significant loss for any business

monday

tuesday

thursday

wednesday

friday

saturday

Pm

Eye contact is the top non-verbal indicator of a positive meeting

sunday

12%

48%

Pyjamas are a top clothing choice for conference calls outside of the office... and some people even take conference calls on the beach!

Comfortable chairs

Comfortable temperature

53%

59%

Natural daylight

Meetings facilitator

6%

News and current affairs

53%

39%

of a

SUCCESSFUL

Use small talk to build trust. Popular topics are:

for Meet in a professional environment maximum efficiency and productivity 1 – hotel conference rooms are the no. e offic the de outsi ing choice if meet

Ensure your meeting venue has the following:

39%

SECRETS Hotel conference rooms

Office board room

Meeting rooms in the office

54%

74%

am

Meet in the morning at the start of the week for a successful meeting

68%

Tuesday morning is identified as the optimum time for a successful face-to-face meeting in the UK and US, while Monday mornings are considered the best time of the week for productive meetings in China, India and UAE.

Weather

MEETING

69% Leave the smartphone behind – fiddling with smartphones voted one of the top meeting nuisances

Use social media platforms to research a business associate before a meeting

43%

Facebook 48%

Social media

24%

Industry news

LinkedIn 42%

WeChat 40%

45%

Source: Crowne Plaza in collaboration with TNS Global

etiquette talk

u o Y k n a Th tes No IN BUSINESS

Shital Kakkar Mehra Practitioner of Corporate Etiquette and International Protocol in India

A thank you note is a simple yet effective way to express your appreciation for a thoughtful act or gift. However, in today’s business world, people are too busy to write or spend hours getting anxious about perfecting the note – either way; they never get down to sending one. An imperfect thank you note that reaches is better than a perfect unwritten one!

to send a thank you note?

1 When Send thank you notes in the following work-related

situations: • To the host/hostess: Post a dinner invitation • Gifts: All gifts received via courier/mail • Boss: After being entertained by him/her or after a promotion • Congratulatory notes

• Referrals/recommendations for your business • Colleague: For any special help • Volunteers: Help for a project (charity, sports or networking event) • Hospital stay: For sympathy letters/gifts/flowers

2 What’s the appropriate time between receiving a gift

and sending a thank you note?

Ideally, write a note of thanks within 48 hours, but up to a week is permissible. Having said that, it is never too late - even if a lot of time has lapsed, write one and apologise for the delay.

recommend handwritten notes in today’s fast3 Why paced business world?

In today’s paperless offices, a hand-written thank you note stands out and has a certain permanency, which an email lacks. It makes your recipient feel that the effort on his/her part was worth it.

52

MICEtalk December 2013

Personalise your thank you notes, making references to the thoughtful act/gift. email an appropriate way to thank?

4 IsBeing quick and easy, email is adequate but an email does not convey any special effort on your part.

kind of stationary should I use?

5 What Traditional thank you cards were made

of thick paper in shades of white/pearl white, with black/gold lettering. While such cards are timeless and elegant, you may design cards which are appropriate for your business.

pre-printed thank you cards acceptable?

6 Are Pre-printed cards are junk mail and don’t create an impression on your business associates. Personalise your thank you notes, making references to the thoughtful act/gift.

Thank you notes are a simple yet powerful tool to make your business associates feel good about doing business with you and go a long way in conveying a personalised intent.

technology

eMail Marketing for Business Events Part 1

Effective marketing tools can be utilised in order to promote business events, for sponsorship procurement, delegate boosting and participant communication. Email marketing is one of the best ways to leverage electronic media in order to grow your event.

Here are a few tips that will assist you when planning an effective email marketing campaign.

How to Write Email Subject Lines The subject line of your email is the hook that draws your subscriber to open your email. 7 in 10 email recipients judge the From and Subject lines when determining whether they want to mark you as spam.

Often times the subject line is written thoughtlessly and without testing before the email is sent. So pay enough attention to the subject line in order to receive the best response.

How Long Should Your Subject Line Be? The general consensus is that short and sweet works best. Most email clients can display 50 characters or less. Since more and more people are checking their email using smart phones so as few as 20 characters may be more effective in order for proper display.

Email Marketing – The Importance of the From Address The From address is vital for email marketing to succeed as a form of communication. Most people will not open an email unless they recognize the From address. Most people think of the From Address as just an email address for subscribers to respond back to. The From Address can be something completely different than the Reply to address that you configure in your email marketing software.

54

MICEtalk December 2013

technology

Content of the email The content of the email should guide the subject that you give it. For that reason you might want to wait to do your subject line last. The subject line may appear to be an ideal play to let your creative juices flow.

When it comes to subject lines it’s better to be simple and honest rather than catchy and misleading. Your subject line creates an expectation for your subscriber about what content they should expect to receive when they open up your email.

Your subject line matches the content of your mailing.

You just have to let the substance inside your mailing be your guide. Ask yourself what’s in it for your subscriber? If you do not have anything interesting to offer your subscriber by opening your mailing then you shouldn’t be sending it to them. That way you do not lose them as a subscriber.

Avoid using $ signs, all caps, excessive punctuation, exclamation points, % off, reminder, free, and help.

Stay away from anything that resembles anything in your spam box.

about the author Darren Edwards is the founder of Invisage Creative Services in Australia. With more than 20 years’ experience and knowledge in the meetings and events industry, Darren continues to drive creativity in events and the way they are run.

Contact: info@invisage.net

MICEtalk December 2013

55

Movements AEG OGDEN

announces Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre GM Trevor McCartney has been appointed the inaugural General Manager at Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre. He was previously the Director of Business Development at the Qatar National Convention Centre. Before his appointment in Qatar, he was Chief Executive at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, Malaysia, for three years and Director of International Sales and Operations at the Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall, Thailand for a further three years.

NHCC and HICC appoints new GM Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre (NHCC) and Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) appointed Jai Kishan as the General Manager Operations for the entire complex.

In his current role, Jai will be responsible for managing all aspects of operations across the entire complex with focus on increasing revenues, optimising profits, and enhancing brand standards.

Novotel Pune appoints GM and Director of Sales and Marketing

Novotel announces the appointment for it’s soon to be launched property, Novotel Pune.

The Leela welcomes New GM The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts announces the appointment of Louis Sailer as the General Manager of The Leela Palace New Delhi. He brings to his new role nearly three decades of experience leading some of the finest hotels in the world, most recently as General Manager of London’s newest luxury hotel, Café Royal.

Hyatt International appoints North and South India Area Directors Hyatt has announced the dual appointment of

Aseem Kapoor as Area Director – North India supervising Hyatt Regency Gurgaon, Hyatt Regency Delhi, Hyatt Ahmedabad, Hyatt Amritsar and Hyatt Regency Ludhiana from 2014 and

Sunjae Sharma as Area Director- South India supervising Hyatt Bangalore, Park Hyatt Chennai, Hyatt Regency Chennai, Hyatt Regency Kolkata, Hyatt Place Hampi & Hyatt Regency Kathmandu. This announcement sees both Aseem and Sunjae donning a senior role along with their existing role as General Manager, Hyatt Regency Delhi and General Manager, Hyatt Regency Chennai, respectively.

Bandish Mehta, General Manager With 16 years of leadership experience with the Accor Group across Asia Pacific, Bandish will oversee complete management of the hotel and play a key role in the training and development of the hotel’s team as it gears up for the launch in December.

Rohit Chopra, Director of Sales & Marketing With 15 years of experience with leading Hospitality Chains in India, Rohit will take charge of maximising the hotel’s revenues with his meticulous strategy and planning to provide the best value and service to its guests through accommodation, meeting and leisure facilities available at the property.

56

MICEtalk December 2013

Fairmont

welcomes New GM

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, announced the appointment of their new General Manager, Rizwan Shaikh at Fairmont Jaipur. In his new capacity, Rizwan will be responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of the hotel.

events calendar

events

EVENT

VenUe/PLACe

CITY/COUNTRY

DATE

Matka Expo

Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre

Helsinki, Finland

January 16 - 19, 2014

Excursions

Alexandra Palace

London, United Kingdom

January 25 - 25, 2014

Toronto Travel Show

Direct Energy Centre Exhibition Toronto, Canada Place

Fitur

Feria de Madrid

Comunidad De Madrid, Spain

Jan 29 - Feb 02, 2014

Business Travel & Meetings Show

Earls Court Exhibition Centre

London, United Kingdom

February 04 - 05, 2014

Outbound Travel MartMumbai

Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC)

Mumbai, India

February 07 - 09 , 2014

Asia Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

Melbourne, Australia

February 18 - 19, 2014

Leipzig Travel Fair (Reiseborse Leipzig)

Paunsdorf Center Leipzig

Leipzig,Germany

February 21 - 22, 2014

Guangzhou International Travel Fair

China Import & Export Fair Pazhou Complex

Guangzhou, China

Feb 27 - Mar 01, 2014

ITB Berlin

Messe Berlin

Berlin, Germany

March 05 - 09, 2014

January 25 - 26, 2014

Important Business Visa Requirements Canada

•3 Photos (only white background) •Covering letter •Exchange/Credit Card Copy •Invitation •Copy of Income Tax papers for last 3 years •Bank Statement (6 months) •Proof of Ongoing Business activities between Canadian company and applicant •Contract between applicant business and Canadian business

South Korea

•Covering letter mentioning exact purpose of visit with any proof •Current Employment Certificate •Invitation (If inviter is the Korean Government, public institution/organisation or headquarter of Korean branch office in India, submission of photocopy of original invitation letter is allowed (For 1st time traveller, Original Notrial Certificate is MUST).

Important: Passport should bear minimum 3 blank pages on either side.

For more information contact: Mr. Imran Khan; 9899013306

Postal Registration No.:DL(ND)/6150/2011-12-13 WPP No.:U(C)-305/2011-13 for Posting on 29th-30th of Advance Month at New Delhi P.S.O. Date of Publication: 22/11/2013, RNI No.:DELENG/2010/34144